At 9:40 on the evening of February 15, the harbor was lit by a massive explosion that ripped through the forward section of Maine as five tons of powder for the ship's guns detonated. Destroying the forward third of the ship, Maine sank into the harbor. Immediately, assistance came from the American steamer City of Washington and the Spanish cruiser Alfonso XII, with boats circling the burning remains of the battleship to collect the survivors. All told, 252 were killed in the blast, with another eight dying ashore in the days that followed. Here are some names of some of the survivors:
Capt. Charles D. Sigsbee, commanding
Lieut. Commander Richard Wainwright
Lieuts. George F.W. Holman, John Hood, and Carl W. Jungen
Lieuts. (Junior Grade) George P. Blow, John J. Blandin
Allen, James W., mess attendant
Anderson, Oskar, cockswain
Awo, Firsanion, steerage cook
Bergman, Charles, boatswain's mate, first class
Bloomer, John H., landsman
Bullock, Charles H., gunner's mate, second class
Lutz, Joseph, private
McDevitt, William, private
McGuinness, William, private
McKay, Edward, private
Meehan, Michael, sergeant
Thompson, T.G., corporal
They were all buried together but there were many other survivors that lived through the explosion.
Capt. Charles D. Sigsbee, commanding
Lieut. Commander Richard Wainwright
Lieuts. George F.W. Holman, John Hood, and Carl W. Jungen
Lieuts. (Junior Grade) George P. Blow, John J. Blandin
Allen, James W., mess attendant
Anderson, Oskar, cockswain
Awo, Firsanion, steerage cook
Bergman, Charles, boatswain's mate, first class
Bloomer, John H., landsman
Bullock, Charles H., gunner's mate, second class
Lutz, Joseph, private
McDevitt, William, private
McGuinness, William, private
McKay, Edward, private
Meehan, Michael, sergeant
Thompson, T.G., corporal
They were all buried together but there were many other survivors that lived through the explosion.